Chair.



PATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

0. G. PRANKS,

, CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED MAILZQ, 1906. I

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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provement.

- UNITED STATES PATENT onnron.

CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 2, 1 907.

Application filed March 29, 1906. Serial No. 308,781,

To (l/ZZ whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, ORRIN G. FnANKs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kenosha, in the county of Kenosha and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Chairs, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates particularly to folding camp-chairs.

The object of the invention is to produce a camp-chair which may be made of a limited amount of cheap material with a limited amount of labor and which shall at the same time be amply strong.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a chair embodying my in- Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a portion of the same chair. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front elevation of the main side rail of the chair and a vertical section of the adjacent portion of the seat. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary rear view of one of the main side rails and the adjacent portion of the back of the chair. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional elevation of a modification of the cam-plate and hinge shown by Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is afront elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is an outside elevation of the hinge shown in Fig. 6.

Referring to said drawings, 1 1 are main H side rails. These extend the full length of the chair, one end of each resting on the floor and the other end extending as high as the back of the chair is to go. At their upper ends said rails are joined by a binding member 2, which is secured by its ends to said rails in any suitable manner, as by mortising into said side rails, and said member is preferably broadened in the plane of said side rails, as shown in Fig. 1. The lower ends of said side rails are similarly joined by a bind ing member 3, which may be in the form of an ordinary round, as shown in the drawings. A third binding member 4 may also be similarly ap lied to said side rails at some suitable point etween the binding members 2 and 3. The drawings show said binding member 4 located at a proper elevation to form a rest or support for the seat as well as to form stay for the side rails, as will be herei'nafte described. Said side rails and binding me -bers may be regarded as constituting the n ain frame of the chair.

At the rear of\each side rail 1 and preferably in the same vertical plane with said side rail is a leg 5, standing obliquely with its lower end at a suitable distance from the lower end of the adjacent main rail to form a proper base for the chair and having its upper end extending to the rear edge of the adjacent side rail approximately midway between the ends of said side rail and hinged to said side rail 011 an axis which is horizontal and parallel to the main frame. Being thus hinged to said main frame, the upper ends of said legs are properly stayed by said main frame. The lower ends of said legs may be joined by a binding member 6, which may be of any suitable form. The drawings show it in the form of an ordinary round. Said legs may be further stayed by additional binding members. I shall hereinafter describe a metallic rod which serves as such a binding member. Said legs and the binding member 6 and such other binding -members as may be applied to said legs may be termed the secondary frame of the chair.

The hinge or joint between each side rail and the adjacent leg 5 may be formed in any suitable manner to permit the folding of the legs against the main frame. The drawings show two forms of such hinge, and it is deemed unnecessary to illustrate more. In the construction shown in Figs. 1', 2, 3, 4, and 5 said hinge is formed by means of a plate 7, which is applied to the inner face of each main side rail and secured thereto in any suitable manner, as by screws 8, and having a lateral extension or ear 9 extending over the adjacent lateral face of the adjacent side leg and being secured to said leg by means of a rivet 10 or similar device. Said plates 7 are to be regarded as constituting a part of the main frame. hinge is formed by means of a plate 11, applied to the outer face of the main side rail by means of screws 12 and havingan ear 13, similar to the ear 9 extending over the adj acent lateral face of the adjacent leg 5 and secured to said leg by means of a rivet 14 or similar device.

Within the upper portion of the main frame there is secured a hinged back-frame 1 5, having at its upper end the upright corner extensions 16 and at its lower end the upright corner extensions 17. A rivet 18 or similar device extends horizontally through each upper corner extension 16 and through the adjacent portion of the adjacent side rail,

whereby said back-frame is joined to the In Figs. 6, 7, and 8 said.

IIO

main frame by means of a horizontal hingejoint. Each of the lower corner extensions 17 has a slot 19, which is horizontal and in the plane of said back-frame. A rod 20 ex tends through the legs 5 and the slots 19. Said rod is immovably secured in the legs and rests loosely in said slots. Said rod constitutes a stay for the lower end of the backframe, and if it is continuous from one leg to the other it also constitutes an additional binding member for joining the legs 5, and it also forms an attachment for the seat, as will be hereinafter described, and said rod is placed in a suitable position to give the de sired inclination to the back-frame, and the slots 19 are of sufficient length in the plane of said back-frame to allow the necessary down ward movement or sliding of said rod with reference to the back-frame when the secondary frame is being folded against the main frame.

The seat 21 is placed between the side rails 1 and above the binding member 1, preferably so as to rest upon said binding member. At each rear corner of the seat a hinge-plate 22 is a plied to said seat in a plane which is vertica and parallel to the inner face of the lower corner extension 17 and secured to said seat in any suitable manner, as by screws 23. The rear portion of said hinge-plate has an upward extension with a round aperture 24, through which the rod 20 also extends. Thus said seat is so hinged upon said rod as to maintain a fixed relation with the secondary frame, for the aperture 24, which said rod penetrates, is a round aperture and not elongated, like the slot 19 in the adjacent corner extension 17. By raising the front end of said seat the latter may be turned upon said hinge and folded flatwise against the backframe, the distance of the aperture 24 from the plane of the seat being suflicient to allow for the thickness of the back-frame forward of the rod 20.

The seat and the back-frame should be held against forward-and-backward movement when the chair is opened for use, and it is also desirable that the seat be guided while it is being folded and that it be held after it has been folded. These three functions are performed by the cam-slot 25 and the stud 26, Fig. 3, said slot being formed in the camplate 7 and said stud projecting laterally from the seat into the slot. The lower end of said slot is preferably at such elevation as to cause said stud to rest against the lower wall of said slot when the chair is opened, whereby the weight upon the seat is sustained in part by said stud and in part by the binding member 1. The upper end of said slot is shown extending rearward at such an angle as will cause the stud 26 to bind somewhat against the wall of said slot when pass ing into said upper end. By means of said stud and said cam-plate the open seat is locked to the main frame against horizontal movement.

' In the modification illustrated by Figs. 6, 7, and 8 a cam-plate 27 takes the place of the cam-plate 7 of Fig. 3. The cam-plate 27 is Without the ear 9, and in lieu of the slot 25 it has a flange 28, and instead of the single stud 26 a stud 29 projects laterally from the seat at each side of said flange, and said studs are engaged by the lateral faces of said flange, lateral ust as the stud 26 is engaged by the walls of the camslot 25.

I claim as my invention 1. In a folding chair, a main frame, a secondary frame, located at the rear of and hinged by its upper end to the main frame, a seat hinged by its rear end to the secondary frame, means on said main frame forming a rest for the seat and means on said seat and said main frame for preventing the seat from sliding on said rest and for guiding the seat when it is being folded or unfolded, and a back hinged by its upper end to the main frame and slidabl y joined by its lower end to the secondary frame, substantially as described.

2. In a folding chair, a main frame, a back hinged by its upper end to said main frame and having slots at its lower end, a secondary frame located at the rear of and hinged by its upper end to the main frame and comprising a transverse rod, 20, extending through said slots, a seat hinged by its rear end to the secondary frame, means on said main frame forming a rest for the seat, means on said seat and said main frame for preventing the seat from sliding on said rest and for guiding the seat when it is being folded or unfolded, substantially as described.

3. In a folding chair, a main frame, a back hinged by its upper end to said main frame and having slots at its lower end, a secondary frame located at the rear of and hinged by its upper end to the main frame and comprising a transverse rod, 20, extending through said slots, a seat hinged by its rear end to said rod by upward-directed plates, 22, means on said main frame forming a rest for the seat, means on said seat and said main frame for preventing the seat from sliding on said rest and for guiding the seat when it is being folded or unfolded, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I. have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 5tl day of March, in the year 1906.

ORRIN G. FRANI Witnesses I'IENRY J. HAsTiNGs, GEO. B. MoCARRoN. 

